The sole of a shoe is to provide traction. Generally, the soles reflect the need of the wearer so as to adapt to specific floor surfaces and enhance specific performance. The traction of a shoe sole is a measure of the friction between the sole and the floor surface; and is directly related to the materials used in the construction thereof and the pattern thereon. However, in certain conditions, due to weather, terrain, work conditions, or the like, shoes may accumulate dirt, debris, grease, solid material, and/or water so as to stick to the shoe soles. The dirt, debris, grease, solid material, and/or water can accumulate on shoe soles and thus diminish traction. Furthermore, if dirt, debris, grease, solid material, and/or water attaches to shoe soles having customized soles for specific functions or performances, then the traction on the customized sole is severely hampered and the shoes may no longer perform in the matter in which they were intended.
Various devices have been employed to reduce or remove the accumulation of dirt, debris, grease, solid material, and/or water found on shoe soles. For instance, a mat is typically placed at the entryway of building structures; or for instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,561 discloses a mat attachable to a golf bag. Generally, mats are provided with bristles or bumps to assist in the cleaning of the sole of a shoe. The mat provides a brushing or wiping action against the shoe's sole as the wearer steps thereon. The wearer brushes the sole over the surface of the mat; however, the relative motion between the sole and the bristles or bumps on the mat provide an ineffective method of eliminating all the dirt, grease, solid material, and/or water from the shoe sole. Experience has shown that larger solid materials typically remain clinging to the soles even when the user is aware of the presence thereof and carefully brushes the soles against the mat. Furthermore, if the wearer brushes the sole in a longitudinal direction and the sole profile comprises a herringbone pattern, then the wearer is not effectively cleaning the soles. It would be more effective to brush the soles against the mat in a latitudinal direction if the sole has a herringbone pattern; however to ask the wearer to keep in mind the configuration of the sole pattern as the wearer brushes the shoe sole against a mat is impractical.
A practical method of removing dirt and debris from the soles of shoes is to use a tree stem as a ‘pick’ to pry dirt and debris from the outsole pattern on a shoe. Unfortunately, a tree stem is not always readily available. Furthermore, not every tree stem has a corresponding diameter equal to the pattern on a shoe sole. In order to fully remove all dirt and debris from the shoe's outsole pattern, it is necessary to get within the grooves and channels on the shoe's outsole pattern. If the diameter of the tree stem is larger than the groove and channel on the outsole, then the dirt and debris within the groove and channel is not removed. If the diameter of the tree stem is smaller than the groove and channel on the outsole, then the wearer is required to tediously manipulate the tree stem about the groove and channel to remove all dirt and debris from the outsole. Overcoming the practical method of removing dirt and debris is U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,767, which discloses a cleaner having a brush mounted on the end of a tubular shaft. The drawback of the cleaner is it is designed to be transported within a golf bag, and thus would soil the golf bag and is not practical for everyday use. U.S. Pat. No. 3,045,270 discloses a scraping tool for scraping corrugated soles of a shoe having parallel rows of ribs extending thereacross. The drawback associated with this device is that dirt and debris is only removed from within the ribs of the pattern and not the top surface thereof.
While these prior art devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, these prior art devices would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described. What is needed is a remover of dirt and debris from a shoe's sole that is conveniently available and is capable of removing dirt and debris from the grooves between projections on an outsole pattern, the channels on the top surface of the projections, and the top surface of the projections on the outsole pattern without any finagling.